Abbott's comments unhelpful, says Wyatt

West Australian Liberal MP Ken Wyatt says Tony Abbott's description of him as an "urban Aboriginal" is unhelpful but won't damage his relationship with the federal opposition leader.

Mr Abbott on Tuesday said it would be terrific to have an "authentic" indigenous representative of central Australia in Canberra, in response to a question about the possibility of Northern Territory minister Alison Anderson switching to federal politics.

That comment angered some, with accusations Mr Abbott was suggesting Mr Wyatt was somehow not authentic.

Speaking on Perth radio on Wednesday, the first indigenous Australian MP in the federal lower house said the debate around Aboriginal authenticity was not helpful.

"The set of comments don't help," Mr Wyatt told radio 6PR.

"In my case all I want to do is get on with my job and be a good member of the reps and reflect the views of my constituents.

"It is unfortunate that we have got this whole debate going around authentic Aboriginals because all Aboriginal people, no matter where they live, are authentic.

"All of us are proud of our heritage. It does not matter where we live."

Mr Abbott told reporters in Queensland the reporting on the issue had been misleading.

"I am very proud to have Ken in my team," he said.

He said he was "absolutely determined" to do more to get more Aboriginal people into parliament.

Mr Wyatt agreed, saying public life should be a career option for any Aboriginal person, no matter where they lived.

"We want to increase the number of Aboriginal representatives, and it does not matter where they come from, because the intent is to show the diversity of skill and capabilities," Mr Wyatt said.

"I would encourage any Aboriginal across this nation, whether they are in an urban or rural context, to contemplate a career in the Australian parliaments."

"While the language may have been a tiny bit clunky, Ken Wyatt's nephew is a member of the Labor Party, and what Tony Abbott is clearly saying here is that he wants more indigenous Australians in our federal parliament," Mr Hawke told Sky News.

"I don't believe anybody can find fault with that."

Mr Hawke said the opposition leader was simply saying local people from the Northern Territory would best represent the culture of the territory "where a lot of indigenous Australians are located".

But Labor backbencher Ed Husic wasn't buying that explanation.

"Tony Abbott is gone as the opposition leader," he told Sky News on Wednesday.

"He has displayed, over the last few weeks, gaffe after gaffe after gaffe."

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she wouldn't engage in the things that had been said about indigenous people in recent days.